D.Z. Lectric + Anthon Shield – Lickin’ [MW047]

September 5, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, anthon shield, d.z. lectric, minimal synth, minimal wave records, post punkLeave a comment

Minimal Wave presents the 47th release, a release of early 1980s ritualistic minimal electronics by French duo DZ Lectric + Anthon Shield. The songs are selections from their 1985 cassette release, Confessions D’Un Masque. Having been active in their respective projects, the duo came together naturally in 1981 and over the years began recording music together. They shared a similar philosophical outlook and love of music, from classic rock like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges, to the edgier, industrial and no wave stuff that was coming out at the time, bands like Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, and Tuxedo Moon. They performed a number of times at special venues and festivals in Europe, creating intense and engaging live performances with minimum equipment and an abundance of spirit. They also released many tapes throughout the 1980s. Their music is challenging and hypnotic. Brutal and aggressive at times, overall the message speaks more about human ritual than anything truly sinister.

Facit – Mat Åt Duvorna EP [CITI010]

August 26, 2013July 10, 2019 hipodromecititrax, facit, joakim karlsson, mai nestor, minimal synth, minimal wave recordsLeave a comment

Facit is the brainchild of Joakim Karlsson hailing from Gothenburg. Featuring both Karlsson and the lovely Mai Nestor on vocals, Facit is quintessential melancholic Swedish wave at its finest. Exquisitely produced, the EP is a minimal synth wave gem, drawing some inspiration from French Chanson as well.

Polyphonic Size – Earlier / Later LP [MW045]

June 21, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, cold wave, minimal wave records, polyphonic size, roger-marc vande voordeLeave a comment

Minimal Wave present an LP of selections from the prolific Belgian synthpop band Polyphonic Size. Headed by Roger-Marc Vande Voorde, Polyphonic Size formed in 1979. The Earlier / Later LP are remastered selections, curated mainly from Polyphonic Size’s early output as a band, from when they formed in 1979 to when they began working with JJ Burnel in 1980. The tracks on side A represent their early period and were recorded between 1979-1980 and the side B tracks, recorded between 1980-1983, are representative of how their sound evolved whilst working with a producer.

The Actor – Unreal Personality [MW044]

June 21, 2013September 21, 2020 hipodromecold wave, marcel reimer, minimal wave records, sander horsthuis, the actorLeave a comment

ACTOR, The - Unreal Personality

The Actor is a well known but simultaneously quite obscure minimal wave project that emerged from the Dutch home taping scene of the early 1980s. The duo was formed by Marcel Reimer (vocals, keyboards) and Sander Horsthuis (keyboards) in Breda, The Netherlands in late 1981. The track featured on this flexi-disc, ‘Unreal Personality’, is the opening track of ‘Exploded View’ and the archetypical The Actor song, with lyrics directly referring to the band’s name. The song was recorded during the summer of 1982. The equipment they used was the Korg MS-20, Crumar Performer, Casio VL-Tone, and Soundmaster SR-88 drum machine.

Five Times Of Dust – The Dadacomputer [MWQSMP046]

June 7, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, cold wave, five times of dust, mark phillips, minimal wave records, robert lawrence, synth waveLeave a comment

The NY Minimal Wave label present a limited edition reissue of The Dadacomputer cassettes. The Dadacomputer was the first incarnation of what would later become Five Times Of Dust. It was the result of a collaboration between Robert Lawrence and Mark Phillips who came together during the summer of 1981 living between Bristol and Cardiff, UK. They collaborated by sending tapes back and forth through the mail and also worked together in their respective home studios. Later that year, they self-released The Dadacomputer on both MAP tapes and Quick Stab.

The KVB – Immaterial Visions Remixes EP [CITI009]

May 6, 2013March 4, 2024 hipodromecititrax, dark wave, in aeternam vale, industrial, kat day, minimal wave records, nicholas wood, regis, shifted, silent servant, the kvb, wornLeave a comment

Cititrax presents remixes for The KVB by Regis, Shifted, Silent Servant, In Aeternam Vale and Worn.

In Trance 95 – Shapes In A New Geometry [MW043]

April 5, 2013May 27, 2025 hipodromealbum, alex machairas, cold wave, dark wave, electro, in trance 95, minimal wave records, nik veliotis, synth waveLeave a comment

Minimal Wave announce the release of a cassette of new music by Greek legends In Trance 95. After last year’s successful Cities Of Steel And Neon album release, In Trance 95 came together once again and have been working diligently in the studio on all kinds of new material. Aside from their recent raved about shows in Europe, this cassette is a taste of what they have been up to at Airdawn Studio in Athens, Greece. Quite dark, industrial and sometimes experimental (with glimpses of smokey dance floor atmosphere), these tracks are stark, heavy and cold.

Sandra Plays Electronics – Her Needs [MW042]

April 5, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromecold wave, electro, karl o’connor, minimal wave records, regis, sandra plays electronics, synth waveLeave a comment

Minimal Wave label presents a 7” release of primitive D.I.Y. electronics by Sandra Plays Electronics, a project founded by Karl O’Connor (Regis) whilst he was a teenager living in Birmingham, England in the 1980s. O’Connor, mostly known for his pioneering work in the techno field (as Regis, Sandwell District, British Murder Boys, Ugandan Methods and various other entities) as well as his Downwards label, began playing and recording his own music when he was 16 years old. He collaborated with friends performing in short-lived bands such as Family Sex and also recorded on his own as Sandra Plays Electronics. He was heavily influenced by D.A.F., Liaisons Dangereuses, Cabaret Voltaire and Soft Cell, to name a few and would eventually collaborate with Robert Görl and also Chrislo Haas in the late 90s. The tracks we are presenting here are two versions of the same song, Her Needs, both recorded in Birmingham, England. The first was recorded in 1988 during soundcheck at the College of Food And Domestic Arts and the second was recorded in 1999 (from the Man Has Responsibilities session) at the Ice House. Pressed on heavy weight 70 gram ultra clear vinyl, the 7” is housed in a matte double sided printed foldover sleeve. Limited to 999 hand-numbered copies.

Streetwalker – Future Fusion [CITI007]

March 19, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, beau wanzer, cititrax, cold wave, elon katz, minimal wave records, streetwalker, synth waveLeave a comment

Chicago duo Streetwalker, comprised of molecular biologist Beau Wanzer and electronic music aesthete Elon Katz, wrote their debut album ‘Future Fusion’ over the course of two years. Through endless experimentation and analog improvisation, they have constructed an entirely new sound showcasing vibrant hand-played synthesizer, vulnerable vocals, and serpentine drum lines. Streetwalker’s distinct song structures are characterized as much by restraint, timing, and subtle shift as by the cyclic abandon of the loop.

The KVB – Immaterial Visions [CITI008]

February 18, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, cititrax, kat day, minimal synth, minimal wave records, nicholas wood, shoegaze, the kvbLeave a comment

Cititrax present a new release by the UK duo known as The KVB via our sublabel Cititrax. Combining shoegaze guitars, minimal synth melodies, hypnotic drum machine rhythms and reverb drenched vocals, The KVB was first formed in 2010 as the solo project of Klaus Von Barrel. He was later joined by his girlfriend Kat Day, who added synthesizers and abstract visual elements. Their sound can be described as dark, layered, complex and moody – an icy atmosphere juxtaposed by the warmth of distorted guitars.

In Aeternam Vale – La Piscine [MW041]

January 17, 2013May 19, 2022 hipodromein aeternam vale, laurent prot, minimal wave records, technoLeave a comment

Fans of mechanical techno-not-techno sounds will be all over Minimal Wave’s latest transmission from 80s French underground heroes In Aeternam Vale. Having reissued several essential lost works from the outfit last year, most notably the proto-Sandwell sound of “Highway Dark Veins”, Veronica Vasicka delivers another two tracks from the vault on limited fluorescent yellow vinyl. Stylistically mirroring that previous two track release the title track is an equally brilliant synth-techno beast which could easily pass for a Function track today, while B-side “Calling Somewhere” sounds like a cold wave version of proto-halfstep. Needless to say, the fact that these tracks are 22 years old literally left us speechless.

Hipodrome’s 2012 Review (Part III)

January 7, 2013February 17, 2025 hipodromealan hurst, asso, automatic tasty, axis records, baz reznik, bunker records, cititrax, claro intelecto, clone records, creme organization, cyril, d'marc cantu, dark entries records, degada saf, delano smith, delsin records, delta funktionen, dino sabatini, do it yourself fuck the rest records, downwards records, echospace, elitechnique, emotional response, fachwerk, frustrated funk, fxhe records, hard corps, hospital productions, indigo aera, innergaze, iron curtis, jacob korn, jahiliyya fields, jeff mills, karriem riggins, l.i.e.s., legowelt, linea aspera, lives of angels, louis haiman, luke hess, m>o>s recordings, makam, mantra, mike dehnert, minimal wave records, mirau musik, mote evolver, music man records, nick anthony simoncino, orgue electronique, oscar mulero, peoples potential unlimited, peter van hoesen, photodementia, private records, prologue, prplx, red cavity records, regis, robert hood, shifted, silent servant, soviet soviet, stones throw, stress, sushitech records, tanz ohne muzik, tempo, thug records, time to express, type, uncanny valley, vatican shadow, versalife, warm up recordings, wil-ru records2 Comments

Finally we are at the last part of the 2012 review. In the first part of our review, the preferences of our followers are shown, according to the number of click and stars. Top 3 albums of the years, top 3 EPs, compilations and mixes loved by our followers can be seen here.

In the second part, I presented some of my favorite events and performances from last year. For more details go here.

Continue reading “Hipodrome’s 2012 Review (Part III)” →

Felix Kubin Interview

January 1, 2013January 1, 2013 hipodromefelix kubin, interview, minimal wave recordsLeave a comment

Sympathy Nervous – Plastic Love [MW039]

October 29, 2012July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, electro, minimal synth, minimal wave records, sympathy nervous, yosihumi niinumaLeave a comment

Sympathy Nervous is the project of Japanese artist Yosihumi Niinuma. Influenced by both classical and Krautrock, he began recording in 1979, and released several records on the highly coveted Vanity label. He continued to record and self-release much of his work throughout the 80s and 90s. His sound is intelligent and probably the most unique minimal synth to come out of Japan. Exploring dystopian themes, his music is well balanced and beautifully recorded. The Plastic Love album features songs Yosihumi Niinuma recorded between 1979-1980. These were originally recorded as studio demos and have never been released until now. Stylistically, these particular songs range from proto-techno tracks like “Anatawa Suguni” (1980) to post-punk ones like “Untitled 1” (1979) to a pure synthpop masterpiece from 1980 called “Butoubyou No Syounen” featuring his wife on vocals.

Deux – Golden Dreams [MW040]

October 29, 2012June 29, 2019 hipodromedeux, electro, minimal synth, minimal wave records, synth waveLeave a comment

A new 12” EP by the lovely French synthwave duo known as Deux on Minimal Wave. Gérard Pelletier and Cati Tete formed Deux shortly after meeting in Lyon in 1981. Their music can be described as minimal synth with stripped down rhythm compositions and suitably cold duets. A perfect blend of archetypal Kraftwerkian pop and French synth, these set of songs comprise their later years (1985) and stylistically sound like classic house combined with the romance of New Wave. This EP features previously unreleased newly remastered studio and demo tracks.

Ohama – The Potato Farm Tapes [MW038]

October 11, 2012November 6, 2012 hipodromealbum, minimal synth, minimal wave records, ohama, synth popLeave a comment

Minimal Wave presents an album by Canadian musician Tona Ohama. Ohama was first featured on The Found Tapes compilation (2007) with “T.V.” and then on The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume 1 (2010) with “My Time (Demo)” and most recently on The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume 2 (2012) with “The Drum”, which was also selected and edited by J. Rocc. The Potato Farm Tapes is an album of his early output, featuring some songs from his first cassette entitled Midnite News (1982) and other rare tracks that only have only appeared on compilations thus far.

Felix Kubin – Teenage Tapes [MW037]

September 17, 2012July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, electro, felix kubin, minimal synth, minimal wave records, synth waveLeave a comment

Minimal Wave is proud to present Teenage Tapes, an LP of selections from the early tape archives of Felix Kubin. Six of the twelve tracks on this album have never been released before. The recordings span his adolescent years, when he was between 11 and 15 years old. He actually began playing music at 8 years old, when he studied piano, organ, and glockenspiel. In 1980, he acquired a Korg MS-20 synthesizer and his recordings took off from there. He began experimenting and recording a variety of tracks, adding his own bizarre lyrics to them. Although Alfred Hilsberg of the notorious ZickZack label (Palais Schaumburg, Die Toedliche Doris, Einstuerzende Neubauten) had planned to release Felix Kubin’s early music in 1985, it took another 20 years until the French label SKIPP and the German label A-Musik put out a selection of tracks for the first time. These days, Felix Kubin is still very active, recording new music, writing and producing radio plays and running his label Gagarin Records.

Veronica Vasicka – Dazed x Sonos: Mixtape Competition

July 26, 2012January 23, 2013 hipodromedazed x sonos, electro, electronics, minimal wave records, techno, veronica vasickaLeave a comment

Continue reading “Veronica Vasicka – Dazed x Sonos: Mixtape Competition” →

Kontravoid – Native State [CITI006]

July 26, 2012August 25, 2021 hipodromecameron findlay, cititrax, industrial, kontravoid, minimal synth, minimal wave records, synth waveLeave a comment

KONTRAVOID - Native State

The name Kontravoid belongs on a limited run cassette circa 1980-something, the type of tape buried in lost upstate dustbins of pre-MIDI analog electronics, wedged between Cabaret Voltaire and Das Ding. The dark industrial and new wave influences are strong on ex-Crystal Castles drummer Cam Findlay’s new project—his voice is scary, like an echoing underwater growl—but the underlying pop melodies always afford a degree of breathing room.On his debut self-titled album, Kontravoid turns to analogue synths to create a dark, brooding pop masterpiece. His brilliant vocals emit a dystopic low-grown, often running through warped effects accompanied by exceptionally stirring arpeggiated synths and washes of sound. Modern touchstones could parallel the likes of John Maus or Trust, but Kontravoid’s vision is a much more twisted one, embracing goth influences and yielding a monstrous result that is harder to define. Despite its sonic vampiricism, Kontravoid’s music leaves plenty to dance and lose your mind to, but the imagination here goes way beyond these activities exclusively.The tracks Native State and Cut To Cleanse are exclusive 7” only versions.

In Aeternam Vale – Dust Under Brightness LP [MW036]

June 3, 2012May 19, 2022 hipodromealbum, electro, in aeternam vale, industrial, laurent prot, minimal synth, minimal wave recordsLeave a comment

Minimal Wave return to their self-professed “First French love” In Aeternam Vale with a second LP-shaped trawl through the band’s sizeable archive of cassette only releases. The Brooklyn imprint first introduced us to the work of the hugely prolific Lyon band with an eponymous LP of remastered material in 2009, and Dub Under Brightness proves to be just as important a release. The label points to an article on the band originally published by the Douche Froide magazine in 2002, where the journalist nails their appeal in the opening gambit – “There are bands that have been acting ruthlessly in the shadow for years, in a completely confidential manner, then one day chance (but does chance exist?) makes you find one of their recordings, listen to it, and at that moment you could kick yourself for not having discovered these soundscapes earlier and you try to find all of them”. If you haven’t indulged in the sounds of In Aeternam Vale yet, this eight track selection makes for a perfect introductory primer.